Efficacy and irritancy of enhancers on the in-vitro and in-vivo percutaneous absorption of curcumin

Curcumin is a predominant compound derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa L., and shows antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic activity. The in-vitro and in-vivo skin absorption of curcumin was investigated after application of enhancers using Wistar rat as an animal model. The enhancers selected in this study included terpenes, flavonoids and cholestanol. The irritant profiles of these enhancers were also established by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and histological observations. Cyclic monoterpenes generally showed stronger enhancement of curcumin permeation than the other enhancers. Modulation of concentration and pretreatment duration of enhancers possibly indicated that the enhancers have varied ability and mechanisms to enhance curcumin permeation. Terpineol produced the highest TEWL values among the enhancers tested, whereas ketocholestanol produced no, or only a negligible, increase in TEWL as compared with control. The results showed that skin disruption and inflammation did not necessarily correspond to the enhancing efficiency of the enhancers.